Madoka Magica is a magical girl anime series created by Studio Shaft and written by Gen Urobuchi. It follows the story of Madoka Kaname, a girl who saves a mysterious creature called Kyubey from a mysterious girl called Homura Akemi; Kuybey offers to turn her into a magical girl in exchange for a single wish, but at what price?
As well as the 12 episode anime, there is also a movies called Rebellion with a planned sequel called Walpurgis Rising. There are various spinoffs, including manga, video games, novels, stage plays audio dramas and more.
There is also a spinoff called Magia Record, which started as a mobile game and spawned it's own anime series. It follows Iroha Tamaki in search of her sister in a strange neighbouring city where becoming a witch doesn't seem as permanent as anywhere else.
As her vision returns after being blinded by the light, Homura finds herself floating in an endless darkness.
Homura: Where am I...?
Kyubey: (Voice Over) The universe is realigning itself in accordance with the new law Madoka has brought forth.
Kyubey's voice arrives out of no where. Speckles of light light the darkness, one after another, gradually refilling the empty space of the universe with stars.
Ultimate Kriemhild Gretchen, the Universe Witch (which may be a mistranslation of "Space Witch" or "Cosmic Witch") has enough despair to destroy the entire cosmos.
Kyubey: (Voice Over) She was able to bring forth enough hope to give birth to an entire universe. But that much hope also brings with it enough despair to end a universe. It's only natural.
Ultimate Madoka oneshots Ultimate Kriemhild Gretchen and destroys and remakes the universe/multiverse in a single attack. This isn't even her strongest form.
(http://imgur.com/snoIHRl)
Hyper-Ultimate Madoka fires a purification beam towards the Universe Witch that's swallowing Earth whole. Hit by tremendous power, the Universe Witch fades away with a world-shattering scream.
Madoka: As I am now, I can see everything that ever has or will have happened. All the universes that could have been, and those that may yet come to be. Every single one.
The manga exists in a different Universe to the show, complete with its own timelines (which are parallel universes).
The movies are also in a different Universe (likely so that people who prefered the ending of the show can keep that, while people who prefered the ending of Rebellion can have that ending too). puella magi madoka magica rebellion pamphlet interviews part 1
You called the previous two movies “like a new loop or two of the original series”. With that in mind, how is this new movie positioned?
Shinbou: I think of the TV series as complete in and of itself, and that it doesn’t need a continuation. Beginnings and Eternal were necessary to Rebellion, and my personal interpretation is that Rebellion continues from these two movies rather than the TV series.
So Rebellion is the continuation of Beginnings and Eternal.
Shinbou: Yes, like that. For instance, in her magical girl form, Sayaka has no hairpin in the TV series, but she has one in the movies. And so, as a continuation of the previous two movies, Rebellion stars the Sayaka with the hairpin.
For an alternate number, Urobutchi said he didn't really have any plans of how many timelines, though when asked if there are ten, he says that "it's a possible number, isn't it?" 【マギレコ】ほむらのループした回数明確に言ってたことあったっけ？
Urobuchi : I didn't set it properly myself. I haven't done it so many times that my heart is completely dead, and I think it's still enough to hit the ground, but that would change the tone of my voice. I feel like I've looped.
――― The numbers from 1 to 10 appeared before Homura's flashback scene, so I thought it meant that I looped 10 times.
Urobuchi : For me, that wasn't the intended production, so the director or director may have made such a setting. Well, 10 times is a possible number, isn't it?
> According to Gen Urobuchi, Homura's time to the main story is 5 or more and less than 1000 times (that is, the maximum experience time is less than 80 years).
Madoka Magica: The Different Story takes place in a timeline between the 4th timeline and 5th (main storyline) seen in the show, with Homura time travelling once more at the end.
Further reference to timelines being parallel worlds.
At the beginning, the exchanges between Kyubey and Homura
"There is only one reason why you wound back time, the safety of Madoka Kaname. With the same reason you [traveled back] many times through all these parallel worlds
Raging waves of clusters of dialogues
"And as a result, there is no ... the cause [and effect] of the parallel worlds ... all into the current time axis ... together with the magic power coefficient ... "
Sorry ---- I want to do it one more time Kyubey, one more time from 13th cut onwards In ep. 11, Kyubey has an important expository role. Katoh-san was in a hard fight. Dialogues were long ... !!
Time for some more notes. To start, a height chart.
Looking over some of the production notes, and there's some notes worth pointing out indeed. All can be found below, along with translations and credit to the translators. It should also be noted that as production notes, this does not guarentee that the concepts made it into the final production itself. Nether-the-less they're worth mentioning.
She will turn all of fate's misfortune to nothing.
She will flood the earth with magic,
and take all of humankind into her play.
A moving stage construction.
If everything is a play, no unhappy things will exist.
It may be a tragedy, but it'll all be part of the script.
The play stops on Walpurgisnacht,
and the earth does not turn even once more.
The story will not change.
Tomorrow, and the day after, is the night of Walpurgis.
Kriemhild Gretchen (in the second timeline) sucked up everything on a continental scale, outside the few kilometers around Homura (though it mentions where Sayaka lies, when word of god has stated that every timeline in which Sayaka makes a contract, she turns into Oktavia; although in The Different Story timeline, she's in the fight against Walpurgisnacht with Madoka and Homura due to Madoka's wish).
We actually do see something akin to this happening in the series; Kriemhild Gretchen in the second timeline commences to suck up clouds and water as soon as she is born.
(http://imgur.com/SfiI2yk)
What's more, this same design note says that Kriemhild Gretchen will drag the entire planet into her "bewitched space" in preparation of creating "a new heaven" (although Kriemhild Gretchen even in her weaker forms is more powerful than Walpurgisnaucht, who doesn't have a Labyrinth, so make of this what you will).
Witch:
Part of the relief. (Actually, though, the whole arch is the witch.)
While Homura is distracted by the minions,
something like a triumphal arch springs up behind
her with incredible speed (stop-motion).
(10) Witch Sayaka. Colors are different from episode 8. The basic colors are Sayaka's colors, the same as in episode 8, but the parts aside from those are different.
(11) ☆ In the past, before the loops happened, Kyousuke was a guitarist.
Onto Magia Record for a bit, a device on top of Kamihama Central Tower's activation at full power uses so much energy it temporarily depowers the rest of the city, and draws the remnants of Ai's Labyrinth and copies of Teresa, as well as metallic objects throughout the city. I can't remember if this scales to any of the magical girls or witches & rumours or not, but at the very least it's an impressive tech feat (Alina refers to it as her "rearing cage").
(http://imgur.com/cCSvDOg)
Alina Grey's doppler (?) covers a massive statue in paint that makes people go crazy when they touch it.
(http://imgur.com/bNiQCLg)
For reference to the size of the statue (which for reference, isn't a part of Tearesa's Labyrinth).
Felica (with aid from Tsuruna) creates a huge column of fire with her hammer strike, taking out multiple of Teresa's "hammers".
(http://imgur.com/Id6KPFE)
Madoka's attack in Magia Record (the game) parts the clouds, and then bombards the enemy with energy blasts.
I've talked about Saya, but what about the other best girl?
As said above, Homura is one of the absolute weakest magical girls, weaker than either Kyoko or Sayaka (physically at least, she can hit a lot harder with her bombs and magically enhanced weapons/vehicles in conjunction with her time freeze, which I'll get to in a bit), who uses her hax to gain an upper hand over other magical girls and witches (though she is sill much stronger than a normal human).
Q - Is there any fight scene you particularly like?
A - The fight scene in Ep.5 is the best. Sayaka and Kyoko are similar in the sense that they both are the close combat type, but I want to make them a bit different. So if you know a bit about their characteristics it may make you enjoy watching that scene better. For example, Sayaka is the speed and power type but her skill level is low. Although Kyoko is also the speed and power type, she has better skills so her attack ability is higher than Sayaka. But Sayaka has better defense ability and recovery ability, while Kyoko has low defense ability. If she takes up hits from attack she can get weak pretty quickly. In fact she is not good at defense.. Something like that.
Q - And compared with Sayaka and Kyoko, what kind of mahou shoujo is Homura?
A - The design is that as a mahou shoujo, Homura is actually weak. Urobuchi said that she is not too different from an ordinary girl. Of course after transformation she becomes stronger than a normal human, but among mahou shoujo she can be put into absolutely the weakest category. So to make up with that, she got hold of other powers and fine-tuned what she already had. In Ep.8 when she was held by Kyoko and she could not escape, you know her power did not include teleportation. When she was chasing after Sayaka's soul gem, she only skipped over time and ran ahead. She is a special type of mahou shoujo.
Keep "absolute weakest category" of magical girls in mind because Homura is still physically strong enough not only to make a massive jump, but to survive having a skyscraper dropped on her (in multiple timelines).
(http://imgur.com/1h7JOKA)
(http://imgur.com/iYy2qIz)
However, though she may be physically weaker than other magical girls, she can still hit considerably with her bombs and magic, with her pipe bombs Patricia and kills Oktavia with multiple pipebombs.
(http://imgur.com/UaURDqR)
Though it does take several explosions to kill Charlotte, there's a noticably large crater left from the explosions afterwards. Homura also gets the balls to fly to Charlotte and explode against her.
(http://imgur.com/TGp8Wdq)
As well as bombs, Homura can magically empower weapons and vechiles. She does just this and uses a truck to fly into Walpurgisnaucht, before blasting Walpurgisnauct with missiles, sending her flying into a pit of bombs she set up (also note "Shaft" is written on the missile launchers).
[
(http://imgur.com/PGgUNVl)
Sayaka flies across Elly's Labyrinth and smacks Elly into the sky, before whacking her down through her labyrinth fast enough to create sonic booms. This shatters Elly's labyrinth, causing the structures to fall apart, the substance of it to crack and a deep blue circle to appear at the top (the collapse of the labyrinth, or clouds parting, or whatever the labyrinth is mad of, it's too abstract to tell properly). Sayaka is also too small to be seem at certain points when flying/leaping across the labyrinth, which speaks for her speed and the size of the labyrinth (which she breaks).
(http://imgur.com/abXKOzR)
This is not the only time that Sayaka has destroyed a labyrinth either; Sayaka also noticably shatters Elsa Maria's labyrinth too (although this one is harder to judge how big it is).
As another note, to compare when a witch is usually defeated, the labyrinth does not shatter; just fades away. So Sayaka is definately shattering said Labyrinths, such as when Homura kills Charlotte.
(http://imgur.com/62Jtxio)
For something far less abstract, in Magia Record (a different Universe to the show), Sayaka blocks and deflects a Tiro Finalle from Holy Mami, which flies off and makes a massive explosion. In the process, Sayaka looses one of her arms, but regenerates it just a second later.
(http://imgur.com/RxxTiz4)
Earlier in this fight, we see Sayaka deflecting a comical number of bullets from Holy Mami.
(http://imgur.com/hh5p963)
As Sayaka used her wish to heal someone, she can now heal herself at an incredible rate (as is the case with each wish made by a magical girl determining their powers).
Though there are other impressive feats for other magical girls (which I'll get to later), right now I'm focusing on Sayaka because she's one of the weaker, if not weakest, member of the Holy Quintet (though I also remember an interview saying Homura in herself is pretty weak, though her time stop gives her an advantage over stronger magical girls).
Sayaka: Is it really that important to keep it clean?
Kyubey: Sakura Kyouko was strong, right?
Straight to the point, Sayaka's face turns stiff.
Kyubey: She always keeps her Soul Gem in the best condition. That's why she can use magic so freely.
Sayaka: But that doesn't mean you can just sacrifice innocent people to get Grief Seeds.
Kyubey: The more you use your magic, the more it taints your Soul Gem... Sayaka, you'll never stand a chance against Kyouko without collecting Grief Seeds.
Sayaka: You think...
Sayaka looks up to the ceiling, unconvinced.
Sayaka: Mami-san never had enough Grief Seeds either, yet she was still able to fight just fine... Are some magical girls just more talented?
Word of god also backs this up, saying that Sayaka is weaker than Kyoko, who in turn is weaker than Mami, and Homura is strongest so long as no one knows how she uses her powers.
Q: Aside of Madoka's goddess form, rank the magical girls by their power.
A: Mami > Kyouko > Sayaka. It depends really on the situation though, while Mami is really strong she goes down easily when she doesn't pay attention. Homura is the strongest when no one finds out how she uses her powers.
The Madoka Magica novelization was written by Hajime Ninomae, and it comes in two volumes, totalling around 600 pages, including images. Most of it is told in 1st person from Madoka's perspective, but there are segments from Homura's perspective.
Firstly, let me note that I'm using a machine translator. Machine translators aren't always acurate, and they can get stuff very much wrong, but they do get the general jist. I also had a friend who can read Japanese look at some of the paragraphs, and he confirmed that they indeed say what they say (although not always worded in that order). Such sentences I'll highlight. Of course, feel free to improve the translations yourself if you wish.
(Full raw)
Madoka Magica novelization - Volume 1 said:
After jumping over a number of buildings, Sayaka-chan dropped me off.
It was the roof of a big building.
Kyubey talks about Homura's time travel tangling up the threads of fate from multiple parallel worlds.
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Madoka Magica novelization - Volume 2 said:
(The only reason you've rewound time is Madoka Kaname's safety. Over and over again for the same purpose, you've spiralled together a number of parallel worlds. Let's focus on the existence of Madoka Kaname.)
-Something happened around me.
-Who bundles what...?
(As a result, if the casual lines of the parallel worlds that should never have been entwined are connected to the crab... Everything went round and round, as the cause of every event.)
Infinite time passes through Madoka as she accumulates infinite experiences, and changes from Madoka into someone else, another more powerful being.
(Full raw)
Madoka Magica novelization - Volume 2 said:
With the cause and effect of myriad sorrows, I take them all, hug them, and turn them into my pain. I will turn it into my wound. And I was grateful that I loved the suffering, the stagnation, and the things that I loved piled up in me, and that I could enjoy the suffering of my friends together. Infinite time flows through me, and infinite experiences assimilate with my consciousness. The more I took, the more I seemed to increase. It seemed to be endlessly strong. Madoka Kaname's consciousness diminished, and she seemed to change into something stronger, and that was alive...
Ultimate Madoka clenses Walpurgisnacht of her despair. After her form collapses, Madoka takes Walpurgisnacht and feels her sorrow (Madoka's own sadness being so great it pierces the Universe), before she takes the girl Walpurgis into her (the girl Walpurgis, not the witch; we finally meet the magical girl she once was, but we still know nothing about her, and likely never will). Madoka then vanishes.
Madoka Magica novelization - Volume 2 said:
As I snuggled up, the huge body of Walpurgis collapsed. I'm scared again and shake my body violently, but I speak gently.
"It's ok...it's ok."
That suffering. Despair the unforgivable resentment. A black feeling that won't disappear even if you scatter it or scrape it off. I accept everything.
"No one has the grudge anymore. No one has to curse. Before that happens."
-I will take you resentment.
In a world surrounded by light - the feeling that one day it was called Walpurgis Night" - was making a small voice. It resonated in the sad and dreamy world of Kuon. In my heart, the pitch-black feelings were crying violently. That feeling is so sad and crazy that it penetrates the universe. My chest is tightened and it seems to tear. Still, the one at the bottom is-
"Oh..." I smiled. "...You are the same as me." The face of a girl called Walpurgis was distorted and melted, and it melted and overlapped me.
It must be at that exact moment when the existence of Madoka Kaname disappears, all the sorrows are very heavy to have alone - VD or so heavy, but if everyone has it, the weight will be meaningless. Was the moment I knew.
The fate of Madoka Kaname. Homura wakes up in the primordial Universe, when Madoka's wish is remaking the Universe, when all galaxies where formed and infinite proliferation begins (this would mean the Universe was remade right from the very Big Bang). A soul gem the size of a planet then passes by, and Kriemhild Gretchen begins to awaken from it as all despair of all magical girls who ever were or will be is turns it into the ultimate grief seed.
Madoka Magica novelization - Volume 2 said:
A black-haired girl woke up, even above. I don't know were the end is. She was in a world where there was nothing certain about herself, except for her self-consciousness that she was a girl who contracted as a magical girl in her second year of middle school.
"The universe is being reorganised based on the new laws that Madoka brought."
"The universe is being reorganised based on the new laws that Madoka brought." A familiar voice echoes in the girl's head. Somewhere, a mixture of monk hatred and strange nostalgia. A sullen voice. So she understands that it is the beginning of the universe. From here, infinite proliferation begins and all galaxies are composed. Gradually, some light spots begin to appear in the girl's eyes. Eventually, it shows a series and sways into the primordial galaxy.
(Well, you were also a magical messenger over time.) The voice said something reassuring. (Then, let's see it together. The ending of the existence of Madoka Kaname.) It was a dark and dark space
A line of meteors that appeared in the distance with the word eventually appeared in front of the black-haired girl.
"That..."
It's one by one. It was so huge that it could be called a planet, and it was so great that it was impossible to see the whole picture when the girl moved her face.
(Do you know the amount of curses that Madoka will carry in return for fulfilling that magnificent prayer?)
There was a beautiful star that shines blue and is familiar to the end when the woman suddenly saw it. Planet Earth.
"Hope equal to creating a universe has been achieved. That means that it brings despair enough to end a universe."
At the moment when the voice is wicked, a black stain appears at the centre of the soul gem, which is as huge as the planet. It spreads in the blink of an eye, rolls up, and eventually begins to dye the entire planet black
Ultimate Kriemhild Gretchen has enough mass to rip the Universe apart, and her planet-sized form utterly dwarves the city-sized Night of Walpurgis.
(Full raw)
Madoka Magica novelization - Volume 2 said:
It is a huge size that is incomparable, such as Walpurgis Night, which boasts the size of a city.
"Oh..."
Eventually, the maximal witch who appeared by scattering the mass enough to tear the Universe is awesome.
However, Madoka wished for the power to destroy all witches, including Ultimate Kriemhild Gretchen. She emerges from infinite space-time with an arrow that lights up the Universe, and destroys Ultimate Kriemhild Gretchen.
Madoka Magica novelization - Volume 2 said:
Then I call out so. Well...Madoka? Wolf, overlooking all sides, fromm behind a black-haired girl (My wish is to erase all witches. If it really came true, it would be a week. Madoka Kaname, once in infinite space-time. The girl was squeezing a bow in her hand and shinging a light that dyed the universe. The emitted arrow diffused into innumerable lights and quickly erased the huge witch that wraps around the Earth. I hugged to protect Homura-chan. "At that time, I squeezed beyond the enormous amount of light, and when I saw that stiff expression, I just smiled. I was happy to see her agaim. I'm happy with everything Homura-chan did, and just that body
Madoka ascends to the level past this Universe, becoming a concept who always was and always will be in an infinite white plane.
(Full raw)
Madoka Magica novelization - Volume 2 said:
(Madoka. With this, your life...has no beginning or end.) It was an infinite space of white, which was different to the previous one.
"The proof of living in this world and its memory are left everywhere. Absent. The existence of you has shifted to the next higher realm and become a mere concept."
The voice is blurred, the empty and usual sullen tone is overshadowed. No one can recognise you anymore. And you can't interfere with anyone either. You are...a member of this universe